MANILA, Philippines — “I did not lie to the President,” resigned Philippine National Police Director General Purisima said in his a 13-page position paper that he submitted to the Senate in connection with its investigation into the Mamasapano incident.
Purisima submitted his position paper on Wednesday, March 11, to the three committees of the Senate — public order, peace, unification, and reconciliation, and finance — that investigated the incident. A copy of the paper was released to reporters this Thursday by the office of Senator Grace Poe who led the probe as head of the committee on public order.
“…I take this opportunity to underscore that I did not lie to the President about the status of Operation Exodus in the morning of January 25, 2015. It is not in my character to relay inaccurate information to the President,” he said in the paper.
Purisima’s statement contradicted the reported statement of the President when he faced a group of congressmen last month where he supposedly stated that the resigned officer had lied to him about the operation.
This also belied some senators’ statements during the past hearings of the Senate that he fed the President wrong information when he told him through a text message in the morning of January 25 that the containment forces sent to Mamasapano to rescue the members of the PNP-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) who engaged in a firelight with armed men were “supported by mechanized and artillery support.”
Purisima explained that when he informed the President about the status of Operation Exodus, PNP officer in charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gregorio Catapang and Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, chief of the AFP Western Command, were already aware that hostile forces have engaged the PNP-SAF troopers.
“Thus when I informed the President at 8:17 a.m. on January 25, 2015 that the engaged PNP SAF troopers are supported by mechanized and raillery support, I relied in good faith on the information given to me at 8:03 a.m. by Lt. General Guerrero, which stated that “meron ng coordination sa ground tank infantry and artillery support are made available,’” he said.
“To me, Lt. General Guerrero’s reference to “meron ng coordination sa ground” implies more than just the availability of support. To me, that message refers to the coordinate efforts to use tank, infantry and artillery assets in support of our PNP SAF troopers.”
“I had no reason to believe or interpret otherwise, since the request for reinforcement for our PNP SAF troopers was relayed to Lt. General Guerrero in my telephone conversation with him as early as 9:00 a.m., which fact is admitted by the AFP in its presentation before the honorable committees on February 9, 2015,” Purisima added.
And since he was already placed under preventive suspension at that time, Purisima said, “It fell on those who were with the President on January 25, 2015 to brief the Chief Executive a d provide vital information as they had direct contact with the ground commanders.”
“Even if I was under preventive suspension at that time when Operation Exodus was launched, I believe that it was morally incumbent upon me as a police officer to come to the aid of my fellow PNP_SAF troopers in their time of need. I believe that it is my moral duty and obligation to extend to the PNP whatever assistance I can,” he said.
Purisima was ordered suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman in December 2014 over an allegedly anomalous courier deal.
The Senate has already concluded its probe on the incident and is expected to release its findings next week.